Nova Scotia deserves accountability in our health care system

NDP bill would require open NSHA meetings

Halifax – Today the NDP Caucus announced plans to introduce health care accountability legislation in the upcoming spring session. The legislation would require the Nova Scotia Health Authority to hold open meetings and post its minutes online.

“Every day we hear from people who are confronting the crisis in our health care system, and the Liberal government has provided no answers about what they’re going to do about it,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “Centralizing decision making in Halifax hasn’t made our system stronger, but shedding some light on those decisions would be a good first step to coming up with solutions to the current crisis in health care.”

Nova Scotia is the only province in which the health authority has no public meetings. The Caucus will also bring forward legislation that would create a regular reporting process, similar to the Accountability Report on Emergency Departments, to track access to long-term care, primary care, and mental health services.

“We know different parts of the province get different levels of care. In Cape Breton, people are having a more difficult time getting the care they need,” said NDP Health spokesperson Tammy Martin. “Communities deserve to know if care is getting better or worse. Reporting on the state of health care will ensure the McNeil Liberals can’t hide from the crisis in health care.”

The Nova Scotia Health Authority Openness Act and the Nova Scotia Health Authority Accountability Act will be introduced by the NDP Caucus next week when the spring sitting of the legislature begins.

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